18 All the Israelite people met together at Shiloh. [ a ] There they put up the Tent of Meeting. They now ruled the whole land. 2 But there were still seven tribes that Joshua had not yet given a part of the land for themselves.
3 Joshua said to them, ‘The Lord , the God of your ancestors, has given you the land. How much longer will you wait before you take it? 4 Choose three men from each tribe. I will send them to look at the whole land, to see what it is like. They must describe each part and then bring a report back to me. 5 You must make it into seven parts. Judah's tribe will keep the land in the south. Joseph's two tribes will keep their land in the north. [ b ] Divide the rest of the land into seven parts. 6 See what the land is like and describe each of the seven parts. Bring your report to me. Then I will use lots to choose which tribe should receive each part of the land. The Lord our God will decide this. 7 The Levites will not have any land of their own. Their gift from the Lord is to serve him. Gad, Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh already have their land on the east side of the Jordan River. The Lord 's servant, Moses, gave it to them.’
8 Before the men left, Joshua said to them, ‘Go and look carefully at the land. Describe what you see. Then bring your report back to me here in Shiloh. I will use lots so that the Lord decides how to share the land between you.’
9 So the men left and they travelled through the land. They described the land and each town and they wrote it in a book. They wrote about each of the seven parts of the land. Then they went back to Joshua at Shiloh, where the Israelites had put up their tents.
10 There at Shiloh, Joshua used lots to see how the Lord wanted to divide the land. He told each of the seven Israelite tribes which part of the land they would receive.
11 The first part of the land was for Benjamin's tribe, clan by clan. Their land was between the land that Joshua had already given to the tribes of Judah and Joseph.
12 The north border of their land began at the Jordan River, and it went up the hills to the north of Jericho. From there it went west into the hills, to the desert of Beth Aven. 13 Then their border continued to the south of Luz (that is Bethel) and went down to Ataroth Addar. That is on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.
14 From that hill, their west border went south to Kiriath Baal (that is Kiriath-Jearim). This town belonged to the people of Judah. That was the west border of Benjamin's land.
15 The south border went from the edge of Kiriath-Jearim to the springs of water at Nephtoah. 16 Then it went to the edge of the hill country, near Ben Hinnom valley. This was north of the Valley of the Rephaites. It continued down the Hinnom valley, south of the Jebusite city and then went on to En Rogel. 17 Then it went north to En Shemesh. It continued to Geliloth, opposite the valley of Adummim. Then it went to the great stone of Bohan, Reuben's son. 18 It continued to the north of Beth Arabah down into the Jordan Valley. 19 Then it went north of Ben Hoglah, to the north end of the Salt Sea, where the Jordan River ends. That was the south border of Benjamin's land.
20 The east border of their land was the Jordan River.
Those are the borders of the land that Joshua gave to the families of Benjamin's tribe.
21 These are the cities that Joshua gave to the tribe of Benjamin:
Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar, Ammoni, Ophni and Geba.
There were 12 towns and their villages.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath.
There were 14 towns and their villages.
Joshua gave these cities to Benjamin's tribe, for each clan to live in.
18 All the Israelites gathered together at Shiloh where they set up the Meeting Tent. The Israelites controlled that country. They had defeated all the enemies in that land. 2 But at this time there were still seven tribes of Israel that had not yet received their land.
3 So Joshua said to the Israelites, “Why do you wait so long to take your land? The Lord , the God of your ancestors, has given this land to you. 4 So each of your tribes should choose three men. I will send them out to study the land. They will describe that land, and then they will come back to me. 5 They will divide the land into seven parts. The people of Judah will keep their land in the south. The people of Joseph will keep their land in the north. 6 But you should describe the land and divide it into seven parts. Bring the map to me, and we will throw lots to let the Lord our God decide how to divide the land among the tribes. 7 The Levites don’t get a share of the land. Their share is to serve the Lord as priests. Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the land that was promised to them. They are on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses, the Lord ’s servant, gave them that land.”
8 So the men who were chosen went to look at the land and write down what they saw. Joshua told them, “Go through the land and describe it in writing. Then come back to me at Shiloh. I will throw lots and let the Lord decide how you will share the land.”
9 So the men went into the land. As they walked through it, they wrote down what they saw. They listed all the cities and divided the land into seven parts. Then they went back to Joshua at Shiloh. 10 Joshua threw lots for them in front of the Lord at Shiloh. In this way Joshua divided the land and gave each tribe its part of the land.
11 The tribe of Benjamin was given the land that was between the areas of Judah and Joseph. Each family in the tribe of Benjamin got its land. This is the land that was chosen for Benjamin: 12 The northern border started at the Jordan River. It went along the northern edge of Jericho. Then the border went west into the hill country. It continued until it was just east of Beth Aven. 13 Then the border went south to Luz (Bethel), then down to Ataroth Addar. Ataroth Addar is on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon. 14 At the hill south of Beth Horon, the border turned south and went along the west side of the hill. The border went to Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim). This town belonged to the people of Judah. This was the western border.
15 The southern border started near Kiriath Jearim and went to the River of Nephtoah. 16 Then the border went down to the bottom of the hill near the valley of Ben Hinnom, north of Rephaim Valley. It continued down Hinnom Valley just south of the Jebusite city. Then the border went on to En Rogel. 17 There it turned north, went to En Shemesh, and then continued on to Geliloth. (Geliloth is near the Adummim Pass in the mountains.) The border went down to the Great Stone that was named for Bohan, the son of Reuben. 18 It continued to the northern part of Beth Arabah. Then the border went down into the Jordan Valley. 19 Then it went to the northern part of Beth Hoglah and ended at the north shore of the Dead Sea. This is where the Jordan River flows into that sea. That was the southern border.
20 The Jordan River was the eastern border. So this was the land that was given to the tribe of Benjamin. These were the borders on all sides. 21 Each family got its land. These are their cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were twelve cities and the fields around them.
25 The tribe of Benjamin also got Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were 14 cities and the fields around them. The tribe of Benjamin got all these areas.
18 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.
2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.
3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?
4 Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.
5 And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north.
6 Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.
7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.
8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh.
9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.
10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord : and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.
11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.
12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven.
13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.
14 And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.
15 And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah:
16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel,
17 And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,
18 And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:
19 And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast.
20 And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families.
21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,
22 And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,
23 And Avim, and Pharah, and Ophrah,
24 And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages:
25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
26 And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,
27 And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
28 And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
18 Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at ( A ) Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.
2 But there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. 3 So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “ ( B ) How long will you [ a ] put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord , the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Provide for yourselves three men from [ b ] each tribe so that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall [ c ] return to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven portions; ( C ) Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north. 6 And you shall write a description of the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. ( D ) Then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 For ( E ) the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is [ d ] their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
8 Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to write a description of the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and write a description of it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in ( F ) Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed through the land, and wrote a description of it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10 ( G ) Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord , and there Joshua divided the land for the sons of Israel according to their divisions.
11 Now the lot of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot [ e ] lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph. 12 ( H ) Their border on the north side was from the Jordan, then the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and [ f ] it ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 Then from there the border continued to ( I ) Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill which lies on the south of ( J ) lower Beth-horon. 14 And the border changed direction from there and turned around on the west side southward, from the hill which lies opposite Beth-horon southward; and [ g ] it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the west side. 15 Then the ( K ) south side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the border went down to the edge of the hill which is [ h ] in the ( L ) Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the Valley of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the Valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel. 17 Then it turned northward and went to En-shemesh, and went to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it went down to the ( M ) stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18 And it continued to the side in front of the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah. 19 Then the border continued to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the [ i ] border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20 Moreover, the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families, and according to its borders all around.
21 Now the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, and Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, and Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and ( N ) Geba; twelve cities with their villages. 25 Gibeon, Ramah, and Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, and Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah, 28 ( O ) Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the ( P ) sons of Benjamin according to their families.
18 The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh ( A ) and set up the tent of meeting ( B ) there. The country was brought under their control, 2 but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.
3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord , the God of your ancestors, has given you? 4 Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, ( C ) according to the inheritance of each. ( D ) Then they will return to me. 5 You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south ( E ) and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north. ( F ) 6 After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots ( G ) for you in the presence of the Lord our God. 7 The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance. ( H ) And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them. ( I ) ”
8 As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it. ( J ) Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh ( K ) in the presence of the Lord .” 9 So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots ( L ) for them in Shiloh in the presence ( M ) of the Lord , and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions. ( N )
11 The first lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:
12 On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the wilderness ( O ) of Beth Aven. ( P ) 13 From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz ( Q ) (that is, Bethel ( R ) ) and went down to Ataroth Addar ( S ) on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.
14 From the hill facing Beth Horon ( T ) on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), ( U ) a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.
15 The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. ( V ) 16 The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim. ( W ) It continued down the Hinnom Valley ( X ) along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel. ( Y ) 17 It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth, ( Z ) which faces the Pass of Adummim, ( AA ) and ran down to the Stone of Bohan ( AB ) son of Reuben. 18 It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah [ a ] ( AC ) and on down into the Arabah. ( AD ) 19 It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah ( AE ) and came out at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, ( AF ) at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary.
20 The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side.
These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides. ( AG )
21 The tribe of Benjamin, according to its clans, had the following towns:
Jericho, Beth Hoglah, ( AH ) Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, ( AI ) Zemaraim, ( AJ ) Bethel, ( AK ) 23 Avvim, ( AL ) Parah, Ophrah, ( AM ) 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba ( AN ) —twelve towns and their villages.
25 Gibeon, ( AO ) Ramah, ( AP ) Beeroth, ( AQ ) 26 Mizpah, ( AR ) Kephirah, ( AS ) Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, ( AT ) Haeleph, the Jebusite city ( AU ) (that is, Jerusalem ( AV ) ), Gibeah ( AW ) and Kiriath—fourteen towns and their villages. ( AX )
This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans. ( AY )
